Jerald was quickly moved to a nearby palace. The palace doctor arrived quickly, and soon the examination took place.
Pristin looked nervous and waited by Jerald’s bedside for the examination results.
“Don’t worry too much, Your Excellency.”
After a long time, the palace doctor opened his mouth. Pristin asked with a worried look.
“What’s going on?”
“When you’re extremely stressed, you sometimes faint. I think that’s the case.”
“Extreme stress…?”
Pristin’s eyebrows were raised. There was indeed only one thing that could have caused Jerald extreme stress in that situation. Pristin, who recalled Jerald’s expression when he saw the dog running closer, bit her lips tightly.
“Yes, I will prescribe him some medicine to calm his mind and body, so make sure he takes it when he wakes up. If he lies down like this, he’ll wake up soon.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
After a while, the palace doctor returned, and a servant of the central palace approached Pristin and said.
“You must have been shocked, Your Excellency. Why don’t you go back now? We will take care of His Majesty.”
“…No.”
Pristin spoke to the servant in a low voice.
“I’m going to wait until His Majesty wakes up. I may need to consult with him on whether additional medication should be prepared.”
“Oh, yes. I see.”
“But if you start feeling overwhelmed, please don’t hesitate to call us.”
“Yes, I will do that.”
The servants left Jerald’s hospital room without saying anything more. Finally, there were only two people left in the room, and Pristin stared at Jerald with mixed expressions. She slowly approached Jerald and sat down.
“Why the hell…”
Whether he had been bitten by a dog when he was young or had been severely injured because of it. When Pristin heard that Jerald didn’t particularly like dogs, she just assumed that something like that may have happened.
But if encountering a running dog caused him so much stress that he fainted, Pristin couldn’t help but think that there must be something more significant than what she had imagined.
“…”
However, since the person in question was currently unconscious, there was nothing she could do but wait for him to wake up. She could only wait.
Wordlessly, Pristin reached out and delicately arranged Jerald’s disheveled hair. After that, the hand slowly moved its position, and before she knew it, it was resting on his cheek. His pale white cheek, which was as cold as ice before, had regained some of its usual warmth, but still felt cool.
Pristin repeated the gentle stroking of his cheek.
“Look at the prognosis and make medicine, huh?”
Pristin laughed in vain as she recalled her excuse earlier. That was a lie. Of course, she could do that if necessary, but her main reason for staying here wasn’t for such things. If Pristin truly hated him, if she didn’t want to care even the slightest bit, she could have easily done so. She just chose not to, or rather, she couldn’t.
If things continued like this, unable to focus on anything because she was constantly worrying about when he would wake up, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Pristin knew this well, and it pained her.
She began to wonder if it wasn’t already too late to completely rid him from her heart. Looking at him lying there, eyes closed, her eyes grew hot, her heart grew heavy, and her mouth became dry.
Recalling when he showed sudden signs of anxiety before her, it felt as if her heart would drop right now.
Such a reaction couldn’t come from someone insignificant.
Without realizing it, she gently grabbed his hand and slowly closed her eyes. A small tear, like a transparent dewdrop, fell from the tip of her eyelashes.
She murmured in a voice that could only be heard by Jerald, softly.
“Please wake up, Your Majesty.”
The longer he stayed lying there, the faster her heart would crumble even more.
Pristin knew this fact better than anyone else, and it made her even more tormented.
.
.
.
And how many hours had passed.
“Well…”
Pristin opened her eyes to the touch of someone stroking her. Slowly sitting up, she saw Jerald sitting next to her, giving a faint smile. Seeing that weak smile, Pristin’s heart sank.
“Your Majesty.”
“…”
“Have you woken up?”
“Yes, Pristin.”
“When…”
“Not long ago.”
“You didn’t wake me up.”
Unconsciously, Pristin’s lips twitched with an embarrassed expression.
“I apologize. I think I fell asleep for a while.”
“No need to apologize.”
Jerald smiled lightly and looked at Pristin.
“It was so wonderful waking up to see you right as I opened my eyes.”
“…”
“Did you stay here for my sake?”
“…I was worried.”
Pristin spoke with a choked voice.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“…”
As the words “I’m fine” didn’t sound wholehearted, Pristin couldn’t help but feel a sudden welling up of emotions. She stared at Jerald intently.
‘That look in his eyes again.’
It was the same as before. When she asked him if he was okay last time, he had the same look in his eyes.
An unfathomable gaze. A gaze that was hiding something, something Pristin couldn’t comprehend.
Feeling frustrated, Pristin spoke up.
“…I’ll call the palace doctor.”
It was when Pristin was about to stand up after saying that. Her wrist was caught before she could take a step. It wasn’t a strong force, but it felt like a shackle, so Pristin slowly turned around. Jerald was looking up at her, silently.
“Don’t go.”
“…Your Majesty.”
“I’m fine. So there is no need to call the palace doctor.”
“You say you’re perfectly fine.”
Pristin felt a surge of anger upon hearing those words. She turned her body and stared at Jerald squarely. Suddenly, her eyes were turning redder.
“Your Majesty, a man who is fine doesn’t collapse at the sight of an approaching dog.”
“…”
“Do you know how startled I was?”
“I’m sorry.”
She didn’t want an apology. Pristin bit her lip and looked at Jerald. The same unreadable gaze still remained in his eyes.
After silently staring at each other for a few seconds, Jerald suddenly pulled Pristin toward him. Since he didn’t exert much force, Pristin easily approached him.
“Just hold me.”
“…”
“That’s all I need right now.”
“…Your Majesty.”
Pristin struggled to speak, her voice heavy.
“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
“…”
“What happened?”
“I’m scared.”
Pristin narrowed her brow and looked at Jerald at the unexpected words. Jerald’s gaze was still the same as before, but Pristin keenly noticed a subtle tremor within it. As a result, Pristin’s own gaze started to shake.
“I’m afraid that if I tell you what happened, you’ll hate me. You’ll despise the person I am and leave me by rejecting my hand.”
“…”
“After you’ve heard the whole story, I feel like you’re going to look at me with contempt and shake off my hand and leave.”
“I told you last time.”
Pristin said in a firm voice.
“That kind of thing won’t happen.”
“…”
“Please tell me without hiding anything, Your Majesty. It was unbearable for me while you were unconscious. The palace doctor said you were fine, but I can’t help but think that you’re not. What if you never woke up from this?”
“You worry too much.”
“Isn’t it natural to worry when you suddenly collapsed for no reason?”
Pristin bit her lip, questioningly, looking at Jerald.
“Is there a way that this won’t happen again next time?”
“…Me.”
Jerald struggled to open his lips and murmured.
“You can’t leave me, Pristin.”
“…If I wanted to leave, I would have left a long time ago.”
Jerald’s eyes began to grow quickly at Pristin’s words.
“It was just because I couldn’t, not because I didn’t want to.”
“You…”
“But even so, if you can’t trust me.”
Pristin spoke to Jerald in a low voice.
“I will step back then, Your Majesty.”
Pristin rose as if she had done everything she could. And just as she was about to turn her body to leave the room.
“Ah…”
Suddenly, she felt a chill on her wrist. When Pristin slowly turned around, Jerald was looking at her with a determined expression.
“…I…”
He grasped Pristin’s wrist and began to speak.
“I wasn’t the crown prince from the beginning.”
